Iranians Face Sharp Rise In Price Of Bread

ISNA reports that a 29-percent increase in the price of wheat has pushed up the price of bread in several Iranian provinces, such as Yazd and Gilan.

Last week, the Tehran provincial government failed to approve a price increase for bread, announcing that Tehran bread stores are not allowed to raise the price arbitrarily.

Some Tehran bread-makers have apparently followed the example of their peers in other provinces and increased the price of their products on their own.

In most cases, consumers are facing a price increase of up to 30 percent.

The Central Bank has also announced that the prices of food and grocery products will rise by 19 percent to 78 percent this year. This is the third time in the past year and a half that the price of bread has gone up significantly.

The price of food staples has been rising steeply ever since the government scrapped subsidies for these items about two years ago.